Abraham Abraham

Abraham Abraham (March 9, 1843 – June 28, 1911) was an American businessman and the founder of the Brooklyn department store Abraham & Straus, founded 1865.[1] The chain, which became part of Federated Department Stores, is now part of Macy's.

Abraham Abraham
Born(1843-03-09)March 9, 1843
New York City
DiedJune 28, 1911(1911-06-28) (aged 68)
Cherry Island, New York
NationalityAmerican
OccupationBusinessman
Known forFounder of Abraham & Straus
Children Lillian Isabelle Abraham (1869–1927)
Florence May Abraham (1872–1959)
Lawrence Emanuel Abraham (1872–1945)
Edith S. Abraham (1882–1957)

Early life

Abraham was born to a Jewish family,[2] the son of Judah Abraham, a native of Bavaria who left in 1837 and married Sarah Sussman en route to the United States. Soon after arrival, Judah Abraham opened a store on Murray Street in New York. In 1843 Abraham Abraham was born. He had delicate health, and wanted to be a violinist. During the Civil War, he ran away to Chicago to enlist, but was brought back by his father. At 14, he worked at Hart & Dettlebach of Newark, along with Simon Bloomingdale and Benjamin Altman for $1 a week.

Career

Abraham opened Wechsler & Abraham in Brooklyn in 1865 at 297 Fulton Street.[3] The company later became Abraham & Straus.[1]

He became a Brooklyn philanthropist, establishing the Brooklyn Jewish Hospital, among many other causes. In 1890, he commissioned a house, now demolished, at 800 St. Mark's Avenue in Brooklyn.

Personal life

Abraham married twice. In 1868, he married Isabella Hyams; she died in 1875.[4] In 1882, he married Rose Epstein; they remained married until his death.[5] He had four children with his first wife:

  • Lillian Isabelle Abraham Rothschild (married to Simon F. Rothschild);[6][7]
  • Florence May Abraham Blum (married to Edward Charles Blum);[8][9]
  • Lawrence Emanuel Abraham; and
  • Edith Abraham Strauss (married to Percy Selden Straus, son of Isidor Straus).[10]

His many notable descendants include grandson Donald B. Straus (son of his daughter Edith), an educator, author, and advisor; great-great-granddaughter Nina Rothschild Utne, a magazine publisher; great-great-grandson Peter A. Bradford, civil servant and nuclear power expert, and great-great-great-grandson Arthur Bradford, an author and director.

Abraham died on Cherry Island, near Alexandria Bay, New York.

Further reading
  • "...And Paramus Makes Ten", internal A&S history document on opening of Paramus Park store, 1974.
  • "Abraham Abraham, Merchant, Is Dead; Sudden End of a Man of Notable Career, Known for His Broad and Liberal Activities", PDF file with full text of The New York Times obituary, June 29, 1911.
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References
  1. Leonard, John William; Marquis, Albert Nelson, eds. (1908), Who's who in America, 5, Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, Incorporated, p. 6
  2. Abramovitch, Ilana; Galvin, Seán (November 1, 2001). Jews of Brooklyn. Brandeis. pp. 4–5. ISBN 9781584650034.
  3. "A Complete Establishment. The New Store of Wechsler & Abraham in Brooklyn" (PDF). The New York Times. January 10, 1885. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  4. Abelow, Samuel Philip (1937). History of Brooklyn Jewry. Scheba Publishing Company. pp. 281–283.
  5. Obituary, The New York Times, 27 May 1938.
  6. "Obituary: Simon P. Rothschild". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 6, 1936. He was the husband of the late Lillian Abraham Rothschild and father of the late Howard Rothschild. Funeral services will be held tomorrow at 10 a m. in the Beth-El Chapel of Temple Emanu-El.
  7. Brooklyn Life, Volume 51. p. 112.
  8. "Edward Charles Blum is well known throughout the business world as a member of the house of Abraham & Straus, Brooklyn". Brooklyn Life. June 1, 1915. In 1894 Mr. Blum married Miss Florence Abraham, daughter of the founder of the firm of Abraham & Straus, and they have two children, Alice I. and Robert Edward Blum
  9. "Edward Blum Dies, Noted Merchant". The Brooklyn Eagle. November 21, 1946.
  10. "Straus, Percy Selden, 1876–1944". The Frick Collection – Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
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